The Impossible Room
The Halls of Pandemonium - Day 16
The Halls of Pandemonium - Day 16
Prompt: Write a story or poem about a home in the realm of Pandemonium that changes its shape and rooms based on whoever enters it.
I’m taking part in the Halls of Pandemonium challenge, run by and Lord Devereaux. I may not take part every day, like I did in Flash Fiction February, but I will have fun and see how I go!
This story is an extension of my previous story about Pandemonium:
The same as last time, every like, comment and restack earns points towards the challenge, so if you enjoy what you read, please let me and others know!
And don’t forget to check out some of the other stories in the challenge!
The cat wandered in from the hallway and curled up in a box perched high on a shelf. Even though he had lived here for a few years, he hadn’t noticed this door before. He thought this was slightly odd, as it was right next to his favourite windowsill, but didn’t think too hard about it.
He blinked slowly and looked around. It was full of boxes and pillows. There were food bowls scattered around, filled, but not too full, and he was sure he saw some lizards he could chase later on.
Then the lady of the house walked in and curled up to read her book on a bay window overlooking a garden that looked a little different to the view he was expecting. He also hadn’t noticed that bay window either. He didn’t think much more of it and had a nap.
He was awoken by the sound of running water. He was still in his cardboard box, but now it appeared to be resting on a log, while the lady’s husband was fishing in a stream. The strangest part was that he could still see ceiling beams above their heads when he looked up. Looking around, he saw that one of his food bowls was still perched on a tree stump. It was too strange to get up, so he stayed curled up in his box and went back to sleep.
He woke with a hiss as loud noises and flashing lights started up around him. He jumped up to see the littlest house member driving around in a monster truck, causing crashes left, right and centre, cackling with excitement. A rogue tyre bounced towards his box, and he bolted from the strange room with a yowl.
He returned a few times over the next few days. The room looked mostly as he remembered it, but it wasn’t unusual for him to wake from a nap and see the room seem to change slightly. Nothing as strange as the stream happened again, but it did seem to grow bigger when the lady moved around the room wearing shoes with little wheels. He quite liked it when it became full of wool and craft supplies.
One day, he decided he was in the mood for some lizard chasing and made his way to the room. Except where he was sure there had been a door all week, it was just his favourite windowsill once more. He sniffed around, trying to figure out where the door had been. A sudden movement outside caught his attention. A bird perched on the tree at eye level, and he jumped onto the windowsill, crouched and alert as he started chattering, all thoughts of the mysterious room gone.
Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: I sometimes use AI as a sounding board during edits, but all writing is my own.
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Oh Sarah, this was freaking wonderful! You immediately had me with a cat as your protagonist!